Clamps



INVENTOK 4 6 9 T l msu Bm Lu 4 m n 6 6 9 1 2 m. u A

BY mm W @wmw United States Patent 3,264,030 CLAMPS Herman Albert, 4 Manor Road, Paterson, NJ. Filed Aug. 11, 1964, Ser. No. 388,861 4 Claims. (Cl. 294102) My invention relates to clamps and more particularly to hoist or plate clamps.

One of the objects of my invention is -to provide a clamp having a rotatable jaw and a cooperating slidable jaw disposed at an angle relative to the axis of the rotatabvle jaw for increasing pressure applied to work disposed between the jaws upon relative movement of the jaws from an initial work engaging or clamping position.

Another object of my invention is to provide a clamp of the foregoing described character equipped with means for normally maintaining the slidable jaw into the initial work or clam-p engaging position to facilitate rapid disposal of the work between the jaws for clamping therebetween.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a clamp of the foregoing described character which is so constructed and arranged as to increase the compressional force of the jaws on the work when the clamp is lifted by one of the jaws.

An important object of my invention is to provide a clamp of the foregoing described character which is simple in construction, durable in use, efiicient in operation, and economical in manufacture.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinfter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a clamp constructed in accordance with my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on a line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on a line 33 of FIGURE 2 and illustrating the jaws in clamping relation with the work; and

FIGURE 4 is a detail sectional view taken on a line 44 of FIGURE 3.

In practicing my invention, as illustrated in the drawings, 1 provide a housing or body which is bifurcated to form a pair of spaced -leg sections 11 and 12, respectively, connected together by a body portion 13. The legs 1 1 and 12 and the portion 13 coact to define a work receiving opening 14 having one end open and the other end closed by the body portion 13. The sections 11 and 12 are provided with confronting faces 15 and 316, respectively, with the face 15 disposed in a plane angularly related to that of the face 16.

The leg 12 has threaded transversely therethrough a screw constituting a rotatable jaw 17 formed on one end with a work-engaging cup point 118 and on the opposite end with a head 19 through which is slidably mounted a rod or bar 20 for rotating the jaw 17, the bar being provided with a projecting stop 21 at each end to preclude detachment of the bar 20 from the head 19.

The face 15 of the leg 11 is formed with a slot 22 which extends through the body portion 13 and is defined on the leg 11 by end and side walls 23 and 24, respectively. The slot 22 extends at an angle relative to the axis of the screw or jaw :17 and has slidably mounted therein a jaw 25 having an end, opposite to the jaw 17, provided with a "ice pad 26 formed with teeth or serrations 27 which coact with the cup .point 18 of the jaw 17 to grip the work W therebetween and in clamping relation therewith. It is to be understood that one or more plates or the like may constitute the work W. The opposite end of the jaw 25 extends out of the housing 10 and is provided with a relatively large eye 29 for receiving a hook H or the like of a tackle or hoist. The eye 29, at the joint-ore with the jaw 25, is formed with a shoulder 30 for engaging the adjacent face of the housing to limit the movement of the jaw into the housing as clearly illustrated in FIGURE 1.

Adjacent the shoulder 30, the eye 29 is formed with a ke-rf 311 in which is disposed the free end of a leaf spring 32, the opposite end of the spring being fixed to the adjacent face of the body 10 by means of a screw 33 or the like. As shown in FIGURE 1, the spring 32 is normally effective to maintain the jaw 25 in its initial work-engaging position and the shoulder 30 disposed against the body portion 13. To render the spring ineffective during use of the clamp, I provide a rod 34 having fixed thereon a cam 35 disposed between the body and spring and which cam, upon rotation of the rod, serves to bow the spring and urge the free end thereof away from the body portion 13 as illustrated in FIGURE 3. The rod is journaled in bearings 36 secured to the body and is provided with an operating handle 37. When the spring is thus bowed, the jaw 25 may be freely operated to its maximum clamping position with the work without restraint of the spring.

In use-assuming work is disposed within the opening 14 between the jaws 17 and 25-the jaw 17 is rotated to effect initial clamping engagement of the work W by the jaws 17 and 25 as depicted in FIGURE 1. When the work is thus clamped, the cam 35 is actuated to relieve the tension of the spring 32 on the jaw 25 as shown in FIGURE 3 whereupon the clamp is raised by the hook H of the tackle. As the clamp is thus raised, the weight of the housing 11, jaw 17 and work will tend to urge the same downwardly relative to jaw 25 with the result, due to the angularity of the jaw 25, that the serrations 27 of the pad 26 and cup point 18 of the jaw 17 will be forced into biting and compressed relation with the work. The biting action of the serrations and cup point is effective to preclude slippage between plates or the like when more than one is being raised. The work may be readily removed from the clamp by lowering the work onto a support to relieve the compressional force of the jaw 25, rendering the spring 32 effective and rotating the jaw 17 out of clamping relation with the work, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain the invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and subcombinations.

It is obvious that the invention is not confined solely to the use herein disclosed in connection therewith as it may be utilized for any purpose to which it is adaptable. It is, therefore, to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific construction as illustrated and described, as the same is only illustrative of the principles involved which are capable of extended application in various forms, and the invention comprehends all construction within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A clamp comprising a housing provided with a work receiving opening, rotatable and slidable jaws extending through said housing and into said opening for engaging work disposed in said opening between said jaws, said sliding jaw being movable towards said rotatable jaw at an angle relative to the axis of said rotatable jaw for coaction therewith to clamp the work between said jaws, said slidable jaw being effective to increase the clamping pressure on the work upon raising of said clamp by said slidable jaw and movement of the latter relative to said housing.

2. A clamp comprising a housing provided with a pair of spaced sections defining a work receiving opening, a rotatable jaw extending through one of said sec tions into said opening for engaging work therein, a sliding jaw mounted in said other section and projecting into said opening in confronting relation with said rotatable jaw and being disposed at an angle relative to the axis of said rotatable jaw for sliding movement towards said rotatable jaw to clamp the work between said jaws, said slidable jaw being efiective to increase clamping pressure on the work upon raising of said clamp by said slidable jaw and movement of said slidable jaw relative to said housing.

3. A clamp comprising a housing provided with a pair of spaced sections defining a work receiving opening, a rotatable jaw extending through one of said sections into said opening for engaging work therein, a sliding jaw mounted in said other section and projecting into said opening in confronting relation with said rotatable jaw and being disposed at an angle relative to the axis of said rotatable jaw for sliding movement towards said rotatable jaw to clamp the work between said jaws, said slidable jaw being effective to increase clamping pressure on the work upon raising of said clamp by said slidable jaw and movement of said slidable jaw relative to said housing.

4. A clamp comprising a housing provided with a work receiving opening, rotatable and slidable jaws extending through said housing and into said opening for engaging work disposed in said opening between said jaws, said sliding jaw being movable from a work receiving position towards said rotatable jaw at an angle relative to the axis of said rotatable jaw for coaction therewith to clamp the work between said jaws, said slidable jaw being effective to increase the clamping pressure on the work upon raising of said clamp by said slidable jaw and movement of the latter relative to said housing, and means carried by said housing for maintaining said slidable jaw in said position when out of engagement with the work, and means for rendering said first mentioned means ineffective.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/ 1918 Comrie. 5/ 1961 Renfroe. 

1. A CLAMP COMPRISING A HOUSING PROVIDED WITH A WORK RECEIVING OPENING, ROTATABLE AND SLIDABLE JAWS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HOUSING AND INTO SAID OPENING FOR ENGAGING WORK DISPOSED IN SAID OPENING BETWEEN SAID JAWS, SAID SLIDING JAW BEING MOVABLE TOWARDS SAID ROTATABLE JAW AT AN ANGLE RELATIVE TO THE AXIS OF SAID ROTATABLE JAW FOR COACTION THEREWITH TO CLAMP THE WORK BETWEEN SAID JAWS, SAID SLIDABLE JAW BEING EFFECTIVE TO INCREASE THE CLAMPING PRESSURE ON THE WORK UPON RAISING OF SAID CLAMP BY SAID SLIDABLE JAW AND MOVEMENT OF THE LATTER RELATIVE TO SAID HOUSING. 